Computer databases are increasingly being used to store information. Unfortunately, it can often be difficult for a user to quickly obtain information relating to the content stored in a database. Typical database user interfaces require a user to enter a search string and, after a search of the database has been performed, a list of elements that contain the search string is displayed to the user. The search process can be time-consuming and a user may be forced to perform several searches before obtaining a small enough list of elements that can be read by the user. Furthermore, with typical database user interfaces, the user has no way of knowing how the particular elements are distributed within the database. Stated another way, list-based result presentations do not provide the user with context of the elements within the database, i.e., the interrelated conditions in which the elements in the database exist. For example, the user may not know that there is a relatively large number of elements listed under one subject and a relatively small number of elements listed under another related subject. Without this information, the user is unable to optimize the search process.
In addition, where a large number of elements such as documents are stored in one or more databases, it can be difficult to visually represent the entire database or large portions of the database to provide a user with a more optimal searching environment. User interfaces are known for providing search results and allowing a user to entire search terms. A search engine then searches for the key terms within one or more databases. Hierarchical links between categories and subcategories and the database elements, such as papers, are provided. However, the results are typically provided in a text format which includes for example a list of categories in which documents may be found or a list of found documents themselves may appear. However, only twenty or so documents typically appear on a single screen. The user must then typically navigate through multiple screens to access the documents which provided the hits to the keyword search. In addition, such systems numerically show the relevance or popularity of the particular document that was found to contain the keywords.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a database user interface that conveys information relating to the content of the database, including the context of the elements within the database, to the user and that allows the user to rapidly and efficiently retrieve relevant information from the database.